The Meeting
by Aevora Myonsarys
Summary: [One-shot] Jun Kazama and Kazuya Mishima meet for the very first time. Their encounter, however, doesn't go as any of them had anticipated.


.

**The Meeting**

The secretary opens the door to reveal a young woman. Kazuya analyses her from head to toe with a clinical eye, not in a sexual manner, but rather because he does that to everyone and everything. Even though 'he is a man', he never felt like he had the right to act like that. First, because his father raised him like a machine and not like a person, so he couldn't have got it from him. Second, because when he finally became an adult capable of his own judgements, he came to realize that is simply disgusting. That's not, however, because he is trying to play superior – he doesn't feel the need to look good on the eyes of other people, and regardless of that or anything else, he is pretty sure he is superior.

In a quick glimpse, he reads her as book. He is good with details, and even better with logical deduction, which turns everybody that approaches him to a simple prey. She is Japanese, taller than the average Japanese woman, but compared to Kazuya she is still petite. Her skin has a cream color, and looking to her face is like looking to a polished piece of porcelain, as her features are gentle and delicate. She has hazel irises, thin eyebrows, thin lips, thin nose. Her face is soft and gives off calmness, but her eyes read as determination, and she exhales serenity, yet also self-assurance.

To most, she would be considered 'rather regular', thanks to the standards that are repeatedly reproduced by society itself, especially with Japan's obsession with child-looking women, quite a toxic standard in Kazuya's opinion. They would fail to see her unique beauty, of a kind one can see only once in a lifetime. Actually, that's what probably makes the woman even more beautiful – it is a kind of beauty not everybody can appreciate.

Her clothes can only be described as 'girly', although they don't exactly make her look younger. Her garment is fully light blue, besides greyish brown flat shoes. A headband maintains her raven-colored hair behind her shoulders, bringing her face to evidence, although it allows a few strands to hang freely on her forehead. A sleeveless denim coat covers her torso, and it would leave her full belly exposed if it wasn't for shorts of the same fabric starting on her bellybutton and going until her thighs. Starting a bit above the knees, a pair of stockings cover her legs until it meets her shoes. She has shapely legs, and a slender silhouette.

She also analyses Kazuya discreetly. His deep purple coat does little to hide his robust and strong body shape. In fact, it only adds to the merciless feeling he exhales through his dark brown eyes. His eyebrows, black as his oddly spiked hair, are very thick, and also contribute to his stoic facial expression. Unlike her, his eyes have a very sharp shape, and his skin is slightly tanned. Most women would most likely consider him good-looking, but she doesn't really care about those things.

As the secretary closes the door behind her, Kazuya motions for her to take a seat. She unconsciously shivers from down her spine when he does so. Her senses are freaking out. Ever since she entered the building, she started feeling something terrible, but not physical pain – more like an aura. And as she came further inside, the sensation only grew. Now that she's inside the CEO's office, it is like the feeling is screaming from inside of her.

However, self-control is something she has mastered, so her brain takes the lead. And since her mind is focused on the task at hand, she walks closer, holding her hands together in front of her, playing with her fingers. As her expression hasn't changed, it is easy for Kazuya to presume that she is doing that because it is a habit rather than an act of cowardice or nervousness. She sits in a delicate fashion, and she keeps her legs uncrossed, letting her hands rest on each of her knees. Kazuya takes a seat in the same time as her, putting his elbows on the wooden desk and bringing his hands to his chin.

Since there is no time to be wasted, the woman starts speaking. "Mr. Mishima, I am Officer Jun Kazama, of the WWWC organization, and our job is to guarantee wildlife safety. I am here to ask for your assistance regarding one of our investigations."

Kazuya already has an idea of where the conversation is heading to, but as he does to everything, he urges for the biggest amount of details he can get. "What exactly does that investigation concerns?"

"There have been allegations of illegal experimentation on animals by the Mishima Zaibatsu. Do you have anything to declare about it?" Nothing on her tone indicates defiance of suspiciousness. It sounds as calm as everything she has said so far.

He makes a pause, and then instead of answering her question, he makes her one. "Is this an interrogation, Ms. Kazama?" He says, narrowing his eyes slightly and leaning a bit forward.

"No, of course not." She answers, once again with no hint of change on her voice tone. "I am here to ask for your assistance." She repeats herself.

"And what makes you think I would help you?" His expression hasn't changed.

"Nothing."

Kazuya goes back to his previous position and expression, although there hadn't been much of a change on them firstly. That's the last answer he expected.

The evil entity within Kazuya materializes itself behind his host, and smirks as Kazuya unwillingly follows the thought to 'help' her, to simply make her hate him, for the evil's pure entertainment. Little does he know that she actually has the power to see the bad spirit.

"I do have something to declare about it." Only now he answers her question. "Those allegations are completely true." He says carelessly.

She uses all her inner strength to hold back any signs of the shock trying to overcome her. _That's from where the unpleasant aura is emanating from_, she states the obvious on her mind. She also does her best not to stare at it, as for it not to realize her psychic powers. She analyzes it from the corner of her eyes. Although the evil spirit shares facial and physical similarities with Kazuya, it is clearly inhuman. It has purple glowing skin, with claws and horns. It has three eyes: the usual two, divided by the nose, and a third one in the middle of his forehead. All of the scleras are bright red.

And as for Kazuya's answer, although in normal circumstances Jun wouldn't understand why exactly someone in such a position would actually decide to collaborate instead of trying to evade, it is obvious he is under the influence of the evil entity smirking behind him. Her face doesn't change, neither does her tone as she continues the conversation. "Could you please elaborate about it, Mr. Mishima?"

"I ordered those experiments myself. They regarded cloning and genetic manipulation in general."

"Might I ask you about the specific intentions and circumstances of such experiments?"

Kazuya drops his hands to the desk as he speaks. "I had an interest in learning until what extent animal intelligence could go to learn human skills." He explains, never taking his eyes out of hers, expressing no feelings. "Two animals were used as subjects. One was a kangaroo stolen from a wildlife preservation park somewhere in Australia, while the other was a dinosaur resulted from cloning of DNA banks, severely modified to have a smaller stature and different eating habits." He says matter-of-factly.

"What procedures did they exactly go through?" She asks.

"Many." It is all that he says.

She breathes a slightly bit deeper and continues the conversation. "After completion of the experiments, what was their fate?"

"Death."

This time, she doesn't speak anything – she simply blinks. Her expression is the same, and she is still looking directly to his eyes, but he knows very well what she is feeling inside. It is exactly what Devil wanted, and what Kazuya 'wants'. Kazuya's demon grins behind him.

What follows, however, is something neither him nor his inner Devil could have predicted. She turns to stare at Devil, and her face now reads as defiance. "I wouldn't be grinning if I were you."

And instantly, the Devil stops grinning, and his expression turns to one of infinite hate. Kazuya himself, however, has snapped out of what had been going on so far, and is actually lost about what is going on. And if he is hiding his surprise of not, he couldn't care less.

When the Devil dematerializes itself, Jun turns to Kazuya again. "That explains much more than any word you've said so far."

Kazuya, for the first time in his life, is at a loss of words. Because of that, Jun is the only one to speak. "That entity is eating up at your unconscious, excruciating your spirit."

As she finishes, Kazuya goes back to his normal state of stoic expression, although there is a hint of anger on his face and tone as he speaks. "He is not excruciating me."

"What is it doing, then?" She says, purposely showing a hint of disappointment on her tone, as if she were scolding a child. "Helping you?"

"Yes." He unconsciously mumbles while his mind is actually lost in a battle for control with the Devil, who is definitely not content with the current situation.

Upon his clear loss, this time of struggle, Jun leans closer and puts her right hand over his left one on the desk. When she does so, Kazuya's inner conflict is gone. He gazes at her in genuine curiosity, but says nothing. She speaks instead. "I don't think so." After a silent pause from both, as they eye each other, she talks again. "Let _me_ help you."

In normal circumstances, Kazuya would have thrown her away right in the spot. Actually, in normal circumstances, any of this would not have ever happened. Because of the unusualness of the situation, he doesn't move. "And what makes you think I want your help?" He asks, rephrasing his earlier sentence in accordance to the current tone of the conversation.

"Nothing." She repeats her exact response of minutes ago of his similar question. But unlike earlier, she continues speaking after it. "But it goes beyond your wish. It is about your needs."

This time, Kazuya doesn't hold back his scoff. He takes his hands out of the desk and put them on the chair's armrest. "You don't know me, neither my needs."

"Inner peace is a need of human condition." She says.

He can already feel the Devil trying to take over again, urging to kill her right then and there. He does his best to maintain the lead, and also not to show it. "Not for me."

She leans a bit more and gently puts her hand on his arm. "_Mainly_ for you." One more time, his inner conflict simply goes away as if it had never been there.

After a second, he quickly gets up and turns to face the window that had been behind him. When he does so, Jun instantly stands. "It can only be inside you because you've allowed it in. Why?" She asks.

"It is none of your concern." He mumbles as the struggle resurges, in the sharpest tone he's able to make. It grows within in an alarming level, and his head now hangs lower.

"Yes, it is." She says, and takes a couple steps to her left, stopping by the side of the desk. "Why?" She asks again, even softer than before.

"I had to." It unconsciously escapes his mouth in low volume as he is about to completely lose control.

Jun quickly comes to his side and puts her right hand on his left arm again. Just like all the other times she did that, the conflict disappeared. He keeps his head in its relatively low spot, and his eyes meet hers. Her face is full of concern. "Why?" She asks again, needing more explanation.

He contemplates her courage in silence for a couple seconds, before he speaks. "In order to survive."

She grows silent at the answer. He gazes at her intently, bringing his head up again and turning it to face her fully, attentively waiting for her next move. And one more time, it is not something he expected.

"I see." She says in understanding, gazing away for a second in deep thought. "But there must have been a reason besides that." She stares at him again, and now she is the one waiting the other's next move.

"It doesn't matter." He says evasively, gazing numbly at the window in front of him, looking to the sky. "It was the only way out."

She doesn't say anything, and also turns to face the window, never letting go of his arm. Both stare silently to the city through the glass, both deeply emerged on their own thoughts.

Jun's mind is currently on a battle in between following her duties as an officer or saving Kazuya's soul. She knows she can help him. And she knows he needs help. She feels like it is her obligation to do something about it. However, that would imply in not following her duties as an officer, since arresting him wouldn't be really helpful to his inner situation.

Kazuya's mind is currently in a mix of confusion, amusement, anger, and wonder. Confusion because he's not really sure how she's able to see and sense his Devil – nobody ever managed to do that before, unless he incorporated the entity in the flesh. Amusement because of Jun's courage – that's quite a feat, considering the circumstances. Anger because his secret has been revealed. And wonder because he never stopped to think about other people with abilities nearing a spiritual level like he does, and now he can't help but imagine how many out there in the world might exist.

"Would you allow me to show another way out to you?" Jun breaks the silence.

"There is no way out to be shown."

"There _always_ is."

Kazuya rolls his eyes under closed eyelids and doesn't say anything back.

"But if you insist there isn't" Jun adds after a brief second of silence. "I will come up with one."

Kazuya raises an eyebrow. "You can try." He says not giving credit to her. He removes his arm from her touch; his inner turmoil doesn't return. It seems Devil has calmed down after an initial shock.

"Does that mean 'yes'?" She insists.

He breathes deeply, sounding impatient with her insistence. "It means I don't have any faith in what you're saying."

"Let me prove it, then."

He turns his gaze to her, with eyebrows close to one another in an intrigued expression, and he locks his eyes with hers. Her eyes show him she is willing to do _anything_ to save him from Devil.

"I don't want salvation."

"Then allow me to change your mind." She says. "By showing you that you can get rid of _it_."

He ponders silently, his eyes still on hers. Even if he knows he won't be convinced by her, having an asset against Devil can be useful. _Kazuya_ is the one in charge, _not_ the Devil.

"Alright."


End file.
